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The Gospel
According to the Simpsons After years of being derided as everything that is wrong with television, Hollywood, and America, "The Simpsons" is finally earning respect from the church-going community. Maybe it isn't yet on the Sunday-night rotation, squeezed between a Hallmark special presentation and "Touched by an Angel", but there is a new appreciation for the show about a family who prevails despite the impish exploits of Bart, the ineptness of Homer, and a town with more nuts than a Planters factory. This resurgence in reflective interest in "The Simpsons" is due in large part to two new books, The Gospel According to the Simpsons and Philosophy and the Simpsons. Unlike Philosophy and the Simpsons, which was written by academics interested in cultural and media studies, The Gospel According to the Simpsons was written by a journalist who wasn't sure if he should let his children watch the show. His notes on the show developed into the book that has received so much attention. The book is organized thematically around issues of spiritual interest: How is God presented? How are Evangelicals/Catholics/Jews portrayed? What have the creators said about religion on their show? The answers to these questions rarely take the form of an argument. Rather, Pinsky lists episodes and quotes from the show, with observations scattered throughout. The result is mixed. His approach means that people unfamiliar with the show receive a good dose of quotes, anecdotes, and episode synopses; those familiar with the show get a ready reference tool of references grouped by common themes. What is lacking is a serious analysis of the show. Pinsky's conclusions are generally favorable, and understandably so. But he seriously underestimates the show's unmitigated desire to always get a laugh. Pinsky fails to realize how much of the ironic humor is directed at the characters and what this does to undercut the show's religious ideas. Despite his generally positive portrayal on the show, Ned Flanders (the conservative Christian next door to the Simpsons) is supposed to be laughed at. The audience is expected to be in on the joke that Flanders is goofy, and even if Homer mistreats him, we are expected to laugh at Ned anyways. Pinsky seems to completely miss out on how even the positive religious themes in the show are always subservient to the show's main goal: make 'em laugh. This book is recommended for serious Simpsons fans as well as those who are worried about "The Simpsons" but want to understand its messages. Both groups should take this book with a grain of salt. |
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